How many heading west this winter?

[gores95]

Haven't been out west since 1991 (Summit County, CO) but have two trips out west scheduled this year.

2/2-2/6 SLC
4/7-4/12 Whistler

To be fair the Feb trip was scheduled before this awful winter but I added the April trip last week.

Has this winter caused anyone to go west?

 

[Goblin84]

.

<------ poor college grad

so unless heading out west means holiday valley in Western NY....then not me!

 

[gores95]

Yeah I hear ya! Back in '91 I was in your shoes but my Dad took my brother and me so the trip was FREE. This time not so lucky...

 

[molecan]

Yep,

Got a trip next month to Tahoe, which is still looking sketchy on base totals and snowfall.

Looking to plan a late march/early april trip out to SLC or Whistler.

I was toying with the idea this fall of bringing my wife out to Whistler over Christmas, but didn't think the snow would be reliable that early in the year. They have an avg base of 119 - 121", and are citing 345" in snowfall so far this season, and all I have is egg on my face.

 

[salida]

Trip 1: http://bentley.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2016350&l=7b78e&id=18600756

http://middlebury.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012840&l=18a3e&id=4402453

Trip 2: Scheduled for early march back to CO.

 

[thebigo]

I hit LCC and BCC the week before christmas.

I was planning on booking a trip to Colorado for late March but if the conditions turn around in the east I'll just spend the week at either kmart or sugarloaf.

 

[tekweezle]

Going to Jackson hole end of January and Tahoe in march!

 

[koreshot]

Is the skiing better in general out West? Is that why people go there?

 

[SkiDog]

Is the skiing better in general out West? Is that why people go there?

more consistent snowfall...mostly natural (cept at base nearing lifts usually). its BIGGER......more diverse terrain....many pluses to skiing out west...

M

 

[haines]

Even the squirrels are bigger out West

Is the skiing better in general out West? Is that why people go there?

Out West is the land of your dreams but they will break your heart to as you depart home from ample Powder to the scratchy east coast skiing.

Here is a visual picture from my ski bum days days at Jackson Hole.

"Last night I team ski raced at Snow King right in town always gorgeously lit up our team finished somewhere A girl wanted to participate we eagerly let her in she was a delight. She even threw a great party. The next day I show up at the Mangy Moose (base of Jackson Hole) I see the tram launch out the base lodge. This classic style which literally soars 1000 ft up takes you to the top of Rendzevous Bowl in the most dense windpacked snow. I take a triple instead and I seek to traverse over to the thunder lift and get some of the fresh powder but Ski patrols stop everybody "The trail is roped off" Ski patrol informs patron that they have to check for avalanche danger. So your standing there wondering what to do Then you here a "thupp" sound and you look up and see a round go off a literal miniature white explosion followed by a temporary waterfall of snow on an upper steep section. Now your starting to feel it and get the true sensation of the West."

So now people are starting to pack near the rope "All locals" averyone starts to chatter their is a buzz of excitement thats really hard to beat. 20 minutes later the rope comes down and it's a stampede. On Pepis Run I'm skiing down and stop A man blazes past me without pause and says "What are you stopping for"

Is the skiing out West better?

What do you think?

I have since been "Reeducated" and now delight in Eastern Skiing

 

[thebigo]

Is the skiing better in general out West? Is that why people go there?

I heard it sucked, but then I checked out this thread:

http://forums.alpinezone.com/12106-salt-lake-city-area-dec-2006-a.html

This guy seems to think the skiing out west is good.

 

[koreshot]

I heard it sucked, but then I checked out this thread:

http://forums.alpinezone.com/12106-salt-lake-city-area-dec-2006-a.html

This guy seems to think the skiing out west is good.

Damn. Caught. :-?

Sorry SkiDog and haines. I was just fooling around, being sarcastic... sarcasm and typing don't work well, but sometimes I just can't resist. My apologies.

 

[tekweezle]

you have to try if you get the opportunity. it;s just a different experience and it;s up to you to decide if it;s "better" or "worse". traveling out west can be a pita but can be so worth it.

one thing for certain, the mountains are bigger out there and have a higher variety of terrain. plus they get snow not just because the weather is cold but due to higher elevation. so unlike the east coast, it doesn;t take "bitter cold" to have mid winter conditions. down by the base area, it could be a comfortable 35 degrees and up at the peak, just 5-10 degrees colder. rain in the valley is usually a blizzard in the mountains.

go west!

making a trip to SLC is pretty easy. this past march, I left NY on friday morning 7:00am, skied friday afternoon, sat, sunday, monday morning and was back in NY by about 9:00pm. my friday lift ticket was free! Jetblue runs about 179$-199 roundtrip! Lift lodging and SUV rental came out to about $330 per person.

 

[TreeLine]

Hey Everyone, been a stalker of this forum for awhile now, and decided to join due to the great ski knowledge!! So I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice. First some background info: I'm on a tight budget due to being a med student, Been skiing 20+ years mostly in PA, NY, VT, and now I'm stuck in Philly being a student. I have the option of heading to breckenridge/keystone in the middle of March, and was wondering if anyone has any advice whether its worth the cost or should I just save some money and get a couple more days of skiing in New England. (btw flight from PHL>DEN $235!!!). Thanks for any input anyone can offer!!

 

[tekweezle]

do it!

March/April is the best time to be out west.

 

[SkiDog]

Hey Everyone, been a stalker of this forum for awhile now, and decided to join due to the great ski knowledge!! So I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice. First some background info: I'm on a tight budget due to being a med student, Been skiing 20+ years mostly in PA, NY, VT, and now I'm stuck in Philly being a student. I have the option of heading to breckenridge/keystone in the middle of March, and was wondering if anyone has any advice whether its worth the cost or should I just save some money and get a couple more days of skiing in New England. (btw flight from PHL>DEN $235!!!). Thanks for any input anyone can offer!!

GO...

M

 

[tekweezle]

one thing worth discussing-skiing out west in heavy powder can tax your abilities if you are not accustomed to skiing ungroomed snow. you will be pressed to improve, something that can be done well enough given the opportunity to ski several unencumbered weekdays in a row.

so say goodbye to bare conditions and boilerplate renamed to "hardpack" and hello to endless moguls!

 

[SIKSKIER]

Ok guys,I hate to rub it in but I just came back from catskiing in the Monashees British Columbia.We only had 13 ft of settled snow at the remote mountain lodge.Waist deep face shots every run for 4 days.Sorry,I have to tell someone.Photos will follow soon.

 

[RIDEr]

I'll be causing havoc at the Vail Resorts (Vail, Breck) and even Beaver Creek and A Basin in February...

 

[TreeLine]

OK!!! I'm Convinced!!! I'm flying into Denver - Is Breck a good choice? or are there others that might be better deals/better terrain?